Check Yes Or No
by Lori von Loco
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Arthur Kirkland didn't expect to ever get the coveted "Check-Yes-Or-No" note passed to his desk. And he certainly didn't expect that it would be from Alfred Jones, the most popular kid in school. ((DISCONTINUED))
1. Chapter 1

**-****Check Yes Or No****-**

**Notes:** Since this is AU, a few characters are related to characters they initially were not. I also changed their ages around a bit, so they're not historically accurate in any way. And Ukraine has no real name, so I used a fan favorite for her.

For future reference, here are Antonio's Spanish lines:

_Acata, por favor = _Pay attention, please.

_El cerebritos = _The brains. (The "nerds", in other words.)

**-oOo-**

~*Chapter One*~

"History, blah blah blah, wars, blab blab, colonies, all-that-historic-crap-you-could-be-learning-the-fun-way-by-watching-Hetalia-instead-of-listening-to-your-boring-history-teacher, weaponry, drone drone..."

Arthur Kirkland sighed, sinking lower into his chair. _Why did history class have to be so damned _boring _all the time? _he thought, rolling his eyes.

The teacher continued lecturing as Arthur's gaze flickered from the ceiling to the boy that sat to his immediate right. _Gilbert Beillschmidt. _That was his name. He was at least two years older than Arthur, having failed a grade somewhere along in elementary for starting fist fights with kids and talking back to the teachers. In all honesty, Arthur was amazed that the kid hadn't just been expelled. Probably because his adoptive parents - whose names escaped Arthur, but he knew one was a famous pianist - were freaking _rich _and could afford to bribe the principal into letting him stay. If that were true, apparently failing him was fine, still. As long as the kid wasn't sitting at home with _them, _terrorizing the family pets or whatever it was Gilbert did, right?

After a minute or two, Gilbert felt him staring and looked over at him, red eyes ablaze. "What the fuck are you looking at, you stupid English tart?" he hissed, shoving his hands in the pocket on the front of his gray hoodie.

The only thing Arthur could think of to say was "_God, I hope you don't have any sharp objects with you,_" but that wouldn't be a particularly smart thing to say. Especially if he _did_ have any.

"The air," replied Arthur lamely, hoping that the bell would ring so he could jet if Gilbert tried to stab him or something.

Instead of harming him bodily, the boy simply narrowed his eyes, mumbled something under his breath, and turned back to writing obscene phrases on his desk with a maroon-colored Sharpie.

Arthur sighed in relief, quickly averting his eyes and shifting his gaze to his other side. The girl to his left was considerably sweeter, though she was very shy and therefore didn't talk much. In fact, she talked to him so little that he could count how many facts he knew about her on one hand. One, her name was Yekatarina Braginski. Two, her brother _and _sister were each the notorious bully in their grade level. (Arthur knew her brother, Ivan, very well for said reason.) Three, she had _huge _boobs, but everyone knew that, so he wasn't sure if that one counted. Four, she was a Russian farmer, but if it weren't for her accent, Arthur would've thought she was an American hick. And five, she was a year younger than him, but because of her academic skills, she was in some of the advanced twelfth-grade classes instead of eleventh.

The blond-haired boy sighed again, decidedly spending the rest of his time counting the seconds until the bell rang. As luck would have it, he only had three minutes left; apparently, naming off stats about the classmates that flanked him had taken up a solid ten minutes.

_Three minutes to go - thank goodness!_

His readiness to leave the classroom distracted him from the fact that the boy in front of him - his name was Antonio something, but Arthur was definitely too distracted to go into Stat Mode on him at the moment - had passed a folded-up piece of paper back to his desk.

"Arthur," he whispered after realizing that the kid hadn't seen it. "_Acata, por favor, _you have a note."

"Huh?" Arthur snapped out of his daze and looked at Antonio. "What?"

The latter smiled. "Lucky you, you have a Check-Yes-Or-No note! Those things are rare for _el cerebritos_ like you, so I'd be very happy."

The blonde felt his jaw tighten as he started to grit his teeth, but said nothing as he reached out for the note. Immediately, Antonio handed it to him.

A few seconds passed, and the Spanish boy hadn't turned back around, so Arthur gave him his best annoyed look and said, "Piss off, Handy Manny."

Antonio just blinked, his expression amused rather than hurt, then presently turned around, giggling to himself.

Slowly, Arthur opened it up, rather afraid it would be some sort of gag joke like last time, where it turned out that the paper had said _The Game _on it, and that he'd have to admit it aloud in the middle of math class. He did, and that had ended with a warning for class disruption.

The moment he had finished reading the front of the note currently in his hands, he had to reread it at least four times for it to finally hit him.

_Bloody hell... It's a Check-Yes-Or-No note from the most popular boy in school... _His heart started to pound, threatening to jump into his throat at any given second.

_Arthur-_

_check yes or no_

_wuld u wanna go out friday nite?_

_-Alfred_

With language _that _butchered, Alfred didn't even have to _sign _it for Arthur to know it was him. Still, the prospect of _Alfred fucking Jones _passing him a Check-Yes-Or-No note was enough to make a kid pinch himself to ensure he wasn't dreaming. Which he did. Several times. And, sure enough, he was still sitting in a classroom full of homicidal and/or annoying-as-hell students.

But that also meant that the note was real, too. And Arthur, though he didn't really believe it one-hundred percent, knew it couldn't be a total hoax, because Alfred wasn't actually _downright_ mean, and wouldn't do that, and if someone else tried to forge the note, well... Alfred didn't take kindly to people posing as him. So that meant...

As quickly and inconspicuously as he could, Arthur grabbed his pencil and checked the box that read _yes._ Then, shakily, he tapped the folded paper on Antonio's shoulder.

The Spanish boy took the note, handed it to the girl in front of him, and then turned back around, leaning his arm on his chairhead. "Who was it from?" he asked, a grin on his face. "Francis?"

"No!" Arthur hissed, blushing a dark red. His hands occupied themselves adjusting his tie as an excuse to not grab Antonio's throat.

_Thank God it wasn't from Francis._

Francis Bonnefoy was a pervert, he mentally profiled. He had time enough for that one, because it pretty much summed up Francis entirely. Or, at least, as much as Arthur cared to summarize.

"It was who, then?"

"Your grammar is terrible," was all the embarrassed blonde could manage.

"I wasn't born here," replied Antonio, rolling his eyes. "That was rude."

"Sorry. Whatever."

Arthur was all too glad when the bell finally rang. He rocketed out of his seat, nearly forgetting his backpack in his haste and walking a few steps back through a mob of children to retrieve it. By the time he'd made it back to his seat, everyone else had already evacuated the room.

"Crazy wankers," he muttered under his breath.

"Hey," someone from the doorway said. "Arthur, hurry up, aru! Remember, we're supposed to have lunch together today?"

"I'm coming, Yao," Arthur responded, hoisting the black bag over his shoulder.

Yao Wang was, in simplest terms, Arthur's best friend. They hung out frequently, had similar interests, etc. But, of course, there were big differences between them, namely popularity rank. Yao was pretty much Arthur's only friend, while Yao had so many, just his close ones took up two entire tables when they sat together in the cafeteria. That wouldn't have been so bad if they'd taken up the four-seater tables by the walls, but _no_, they sat at the middle tables - the ones that sat up to seven people.

The boys made their way through the hallway, saying virtually nothing until Yao stopped at his locker. "I have to put my book up, aru. I did some last-minute studying." He dialed the combo, stuffed his science textbook in, and closed it up in less than six seconds. "Okay, finished, aru."

"All right... So, who's buying today?"

"Actually..." Yao blushed, quickly beginning to walk again. "I was hoping we could have dinner at my place today, aru."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. (Or raised six of his eyebrows on one side. Whatever.) "Why do you look so embarrassed?" he inquired, jogging to keep up.

"N-no reason, aru. But while we're at it, someone else wants to-"

The blonde cut him off with a theatrical groan. "You invited Ivan, didn't you?"

"W-well, he more or less invited himself, aru."

"Need I remind you that - slow _down!_ - that Ivan was the one who had smashed my head against the bathroom mirror the day we met when you had to take me to the clinic?"

"Yes, aru," admitted Yao, pursing his lips.

Arthur sighed. "This is going to be more than a little awkward. Not to mention _dangerous._"

"I will make sure he doesn't hurt you, aru."

"You had better."

They made it outside and over to the brunette's red Cadillac, where Arthur stood behind Yao as the latter opened the back door and tossed his backpack into the backseat.

Around them, the wind blew so wildly it lifted Yao's ponytail as he turned around, causing it to smack Arthur straight in the face. So, while Arthur spit and tried to pull a strand of ash-brown hair off of his tongue, Yao gave him a funny look and said, "What are you doing, aru?"

Before the boy could reply, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he suddenly felt very, very cold.


	2. Chapter 2

~*Chapter Two*~

"Hello, Ivan!" Yao exclaimed, his voice a little higher than normal. (Which, for him, was considerably high.)

"Ah, hello, Yao. And you are Arthur Kirkland, _da_?"

"Yes," Arthur said quickly, trying to nonchalantly shrug Ivan's hand off his shoulder.

"It is nice to see you again," the Russian said with a cheery smile, removing his hand and walking over to Yao. The two hugged for many seconds over the time limit that friends should hug. And much closer together. When they finally did break apart, Arthur was already situating himself in the back seat.

"I suppose we should get going, _da_?"

"Right, aru."

The two climbed into the car, Yao in the driver's seat, Ivan in the passenger.

Yao pulled out of the driveway, tearing out as fast as possible, only to be caught at the school's one-way exit behind a blue Venturi. Through the back window, the three of them could see Francis at the driver's seat, while Gilbert and Antonio stared right back at them through the glass. It took a moment for the occupants of both cars to notice each other, but once they had, Gilbert and Antonio simultaneously pulled down their pants and stuck their backsides against the glass, effectively mooning the others.

Ivan pulled out his cell phone and took a picture whilst Yao mumbled, "Bastards, aru." Arthur just sat there with a dumb and highly disturbed look on his face.

Eventually the car turned right, and the two hooligans slid sideways, Gilbert falling either on top of Antonio or on the floor.

"I should put this on Facebook, _da_?"

"Definitely," Arthur replied, leaning his elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his palm. "Serves the bloody gits right."

Ivan laughed rather evilly in a series of what sound like '_kol_'s.

Yao glanced over to see the boy speedily pushing buttons, which Arthur assumed meant he was actually going to post the picture. He'd have to make sure and check his Facebook once he was home.

Pretty soon they'd made it to Yao's new house - a tall, four story building with thick white columns holding up a balcony on the top floor, elegant, plum-colored drapes pressed against the windows from the inside, and a gigantic pool just visible from the slits in the wooden fence that bordered the backyard.

"Goodness, Yao," Arthur commented, dumbstruck. "Your house is huge."

"And it has a swimming pool," added Ivan cheerily.

Yao performed a giggle that was a cross between delighted and nervous. "Well, don't sit there gawking, aru." He got out of the car, and the other two followed suit. The three of them approached the front door, Yao rummaging through both of his pants pockets for his keys, Arthur nervously watching Ivan to make sure he wouldn't try to kill him, and Ivan staring blankly into the sky.

It was a solid five minutes before Yao remembered that he'd hooked his keychain to one of his beltloops. Once he'd finally unlocked the door, he gestured for his friends to enter, then re-locked the door behind him before leading them to the kitchen.

"Sorry about that, aru. Take a seat and I'll have the food prepared in a few minutes."

Arthur and Ivan sat on opposite sides of the little square table, staring each other down the entire wait for food.

"All right, it's finished, aru." Yao slid elegantly decorated china plates in front of his friends and sat down with his own.

"So, how was your day so far, Yao?" Arthur asked, spearing a piece of chicken with his fork.

"Boring until now, aru. You?"

"Same."

"How about you, Ivan? Any luck with Mister J's history test, aru?"

Ivan swallowed the food he'd been chewing and replied, "I aced it. It was easy, _da_?"

Yao smiled. "Yep. So did I, aru."

Arthur suddenly realized that _he _had that test next period. "Oh, bollocks," he muttered under his breath, taking a bite of the chicken he'd picked up. "I'd forgotten about that test."

"Ouch, aru. How well do you think you'll do?"

The blonde shrugged. "I can manage at least a B."

A comfortable silence befell them, and they used the time to quietly finish their meals. After Yao cleaned up and the others thanked him heartily for the food, the trio left for school again.

They were halfway there when Arthur's phone began buzzing in his pocket. "For goodness sake, who would be calling me?"

"I was thinking the same thing," said Ivan, quietly apologizing when Yao gave him a look.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur withdrew the battered device and answered with an exaggeratedly happy "Hello?"

"Hey, dude, this is Arthur's number, right?"

"Yes... To whom am I currently speaking?"

"It's Alfred."

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. "A-Alfred?" He heard Yao quietly go "_Ooh..._" in the front seat, but disregarded it.

"Yep."

"How did you get my number?"

"Antonio gave it to me."

"How the hell did _Antonio _get my number?"

"Tch, I dunno, bro. So, 'bout that note..."

Arthur blushed. "What about it?"

"I was thinkin' that the movies sounded like a good place to hang out. Whaboutyou?"

_Hmm, the movie theater. The perfect opportunity to get the moves put on you by the cutest guy in school... Not a bad idea._

"Sounds fine to me," answered Arthur, catching Yao's amused gaze through the rearview mirror. He flipped him The Bird and Yao poked his tongue out in response.

"Good, so I'll meet ya there at...seven? They're playin' the new _Resident Evil _movie then."

"Sure," was all he could make his mouth say.

"A'ight. It's a date."

"O-okay, a date." _Damn you, voice box. Why do you fail me at the most inopportune times?_

Alfred chuckled on the other line. "Talk to ya later. 'Bye."

"Goodbye."

They hung up.

"_Alfred Jones_ called you, aru?" Yao asked the moment he heard the phone disconnect.

"Yesa, and I absolutely can not believe it."

"Neither can I!"

"Thanks, buddy."

"I didn't mean anything by it, aru. I just meant that _the _single most popular guy in school _personally _called for you."

"You make it sound like he's the bloody president, Yao."

"Haha, now there is a funny thought, _da_? Alfred as president."

Yao laughed; even Arthur had to smile. "Right," the latter agreed, "Alfred certainly would not make the best president."

"Nooo... No he would not, aru."

The passengers all chuckled at the thought, but the mood immediately dimmed the moment they were back in the school parking lot. "Oh, joy - school!" Arthur proclaimed, clapping his hands in as sarcastic a manner as hand-clapping can get.

The three of them climbed out of the car, grudgingly gathered their backpacks, and made their way to the atrium. "I'll see you later, guys," said Yao, waving his entire arm goodbye as he walked backwards down the left hall. "'Bye, aru!"

"Goodbye," Arthur replied absent-mindedly.

"Trashcan," said Ivan.

"What, aru?"

"Trashc-"

With that, Yao crashed backward into a trashcan, and Arthur shook his head at his friend while he made his way down the right hall. Ivan, although his next class was down the right wing too, went the opposite direction to help Yao, something Arthur was a little too preoccupied to do at the moment.

"Yo, Arthur!" a voice from a ways up the hallway called. Arthur looked up to see where the voice was coming from, and the moment he saw who it was, his breath hitched.

Alfred jogged over, a goofy grin on his face. "Glad I caught ya before class, I gotta tell ya somethin'."

The older boy had to remember to breathe, and once he'd mastered that, he had to think of how to form those things called _words. _"Uh, yeah, o-okay." _Good job, Arthur. How articulate._

"How long are you able to stay out?"

"As long as I want," he quickly replied.

"Sweet!" Alfred adjusted his bomber jacket. "My friend Kiku _just _told me that the new R.E. movie sucked, and I remembered that the skating rink down the street from here has a discount for couples from nine-thirty until four a.m. I thought that maybe we could go there, instead."

Arthur's brain fizzled out. "Couples?" he asked, his voice box betraying him again, as the inquiry came out as more of a squeak.

"A'course," Alfred replied in that bubbly way of his. He pumped his fist in the air and leaned forward so far the two halves of his body were practically in the shape of an upside-down L. "Why? You don't wanna go as a couple? I mean, it's cool and all, if you just wanna go as friends..."

"Uhh, well, I mean..." Arthur swallowed, and though he almost choked as he did so, he managed a smile. "It doesn't bother me to go as a...couple."

Alfred's blue eyes lit up an entire shade brighter. "Cool beans!" he chirped, standing up straight and flashing Arthur a thumbs-up. "Don't be late!" Then he promptly ran off, leaving the other male to blink and wonder exactly what kinds of drugs that kid was on.

Alfred F. Jones, Arthur mentally profiled: A potentially-ADHD student that currently holds first place for Most Popular Senior, even though he's not smart, athletic, or in any way good with social situations. He was a mystery to the entire school body, but that was why people liked him. A lot of the time he was annoying as hell, yet he had plenty of friends to show for it, so apparently that didn't matter.

Arthur smiled and shook his head.

Arthur Kirkland: The kid that was going on a date with the most popular boy in school.


	3. Chapter 3

~*Chapter Three*~

That evening, when Arthur got home, his little brother, Peter, immediately started pestering him for recording _Doctor Who _over his cartoons.

"Artie!" he whined, crossing his arms angrily. "I was _so_ ready to watch _Spongebob _when I got back from school today, and what do I get when I get home? Your dumb doctor show!"

Arthur was way too high up on Cloud Nine to form a sensible comment. Instead, all he said was, "Yes, yes, Peter, I'm sure it was fun."

"What? Hey, are you even listening?"

The elder brother, in fact, had already made it up the stairs and to his room before his younger half had actually noticed.

Peter huffed and plopped down on the couch. "Wanker," he muttered.

Meanwhile, on the second story of the Kirkland household, Arthur was checking his Facebook for the photo of Gilbert and Antonio. (Yes, he was friends with Ivan, but only because Peter had gotten into his room when he was gone and clicked 'accept' just to spite him. By then he was too afraid of what would happen if he de-friended him.)

He found the picture he sought and clicked the Like button. "There we have it," he said to himself, leaning back in his swivel chair contentedly. Right as he was about to log off, an IM box bearing the name _Antonio SooperThugg Carriedo _appeared. He made a drawn-out _ughhh _sound and opened it up.

_Wtf? Is that pic of me and Gil?_

_Yes. We took it while you two were being retarded wankers in Francis' car._

_Remind me to kill you tomorrow. :(_

_No, I think it's a fair trade for somehow getting my number and then giving it to Alfred!_

_Oh... D:_

_Hey, how did you get my number anyway?_

_I took your phone during history class and clicked My Info. :D_

_...You ass._

_;)_

Arthur slammed his head against the keyboard.

_bkjbhjgh_

_What? ._._

_I'm not talking to you anymore._

He reached for his mouse and attempted to log out again, but found that Antonio had just tagged him in one of his Wall posts. Curiously, Arthur clicked on the link to comment.

_**Antonio SooperThugg Carriedo: **_ARTHUR KIRKLAND IS GOING ON A DATE WITH ALFRED JONES, EVERYONE!

Arthur stared, wide-eyed, mouth agape, at the screen. He continued watching as the comments list quickly accumulated.

_**Yao Wang: **_I knew it first!

_**Ivan Trololo Braginski: **_Ah, so that is why Alfred called Arthur today in the car...

_**Antonio SooperThugg Carriedo: **_Hahaha, no Yao, I think I found out first. Al asked me for his number during lunch. :P

_**Yao Wang: **_Damn it. DX

_**Antonio SooperThugg Carriedo: **_Ole, Artie, get some!

**Yao Wang Likes this.**

Arthur gritted his teeth and typed back a response.

_**Arthur Kirkland: **_I'm going to personally ensure that your number ends up on the boys' bathroom wall.

_**Ivan Trololo Braginski: **_I can help.

With a tired smile, he logged off before Antonio's surefire panic attack erupted and smote the entire Facebook congregation.

Finally away from the aforementioned nuisance, he left his computer desk and stood before his bed. "What a weird day," he murmured, pulling his tie off and starting on his shirt buttons. "I can not believe this." His eyes lifted to his doorway, where he saw his brother just walking up.

"What can't you believe?" he asked, blinking his eyes innocently.

"How strange my day has been," Arthur repeated, tossing the worn clothes to the ground and reaching into his drawer for an undershirt.

"What happened?"

For a brief moment, he looked back at his brother, then rolled his eyes and continued searching for pajamas. "I thought you were mad at me."

"I was. I'm not anymore. What happened?"

Arthur finally found a shirt and tugged it over his head, then withdrew his belt from its loops and hung it on the hook in his closet. "Go away, Peter."

"I just want to know what happened," Peter persisted. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is _wrong, _really. Just...abnormal."

"High school sounds abnormal, period."

"Good point. It is."

"Are you having trouble with something?"

The elder brother huffed in irritation. "Yes, Peter, I'm having a little trouble. Now would you _please _go away?"

"Hold on, one more thing."

"Hurry up."

"Some guy named Yao called the house phone about five minutes ago. He wanted you to call him back."

"And you didn't just come _get _me?" Silence. Arthur sighed. "Whatever. I'll call him."

Apparently satisfied with the response, Peter turned and skipped down the hallway, finally leaving his brother with some peace.

"Brothers," Arthur muttered, dialing Yao's number on his cell phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, aru~ You logged off Facebook."

"I'm aware of that."

Arthur could almost _hear _Yao rolling his eyes. "I just wanted to know when the date was, aru."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your friend, and friends like to know these things, aru."

"The day after tomorrow."

"What time?"

"Are you planning to come along or something? Jesus."

"No, I'm trying to figure out if Alfred is after something, aru. I'm protecting your virginity!"

"_What?_"

"You heard me, aru."

"Why would he-"

"If it's really late at night, chances are he wants you to come back to his place and-"

"If he does, I'll kick him in his crotch or something. I could care less about that right now. Goodbye, Yao."

He hung up before his friend could answer. "Between Yao and Peter, I'm beginning to think the world is plotting my downfall."

Wearily, he fell back on his bed. It was only four o'clock, and he had already ran out of things to do; he had an hour to blow before dinner time, but nothing to blow it on. Just as he thought about web-surfing for porn, his phone rang again. Angrily, he picked it up, flipped it open, and shouted. "Yao! Stop calling me!"

"Ummm..."

He sat up abruptly, ignoring the loud pop his spine gave as a protest. "U-uhm! I'm so sorry, Alfred... I thought you were someone else!"

Alfred chuckled. "No biggie."

"So... What is it?"

"Nothin', really, I just wanted to talk."

Arthur sighed in relief. "Thanks," he said offhandedly.

"For what?"

"For calling. I'm bored as hell and Yao and my little brother are being pests."

"Isn't that Yao guy the one dating Ivan Braginski?"

"_What? _What do you mean, '_dating_'?"

"Dude, it's all over Facebook."

There was a long stretch of silence in which Alfred repeatedly asked Arthur if he was still there. "Y-yeah, I'm still there. I'll talk to you on Facebook, I-I have to go..."

"'Kay, man. 'Bye."

"Goodbye."

The Brit pushed off his bed, tossing his cell phone carelessly behind him as he hurriedly logged back on to the addicting social network.

The first thing he saw on his homepage was a cheery proclamation of "**Yao Wang is in a relationship with Ivan Trololo Braginski.**" With the following comments being mostly made up of disbelieving questions and teasing congratulations. The list showed the two most recent ones, made by one of Yao's friends, Kiku Honda, and Ivan himself, and the View All button revealed that there was one-hundred-twelve others.

"My God, how many friends does Yao have?" Arthur murmured, not sure what to think of the sudden couple.

An IM box with Alfred's name on it distracted him from his confusion.

_weird huh?_

_Very. Especially since I've known Yao and Ivan all four years of high school._

_lol its gotta b creepy._

_You have no clue._

"Arthuuuuur!" Peter called from the bottom of the stairs. "Dinner's ready!"

"Dinner?" Arthur replied. "It's only... Oh, it's six o'clock. Curious, it was only four o'clock ten minutes ago... This can't be ri-"

Presently, a rock crashed through the Brit's window, bearing a note that read: "It's whatever time I say it is because I'm the author. Love, Lori."

After a moment, he just shrugged and tossed the rock back out the window, taking his place at his computer again.

_Sorry, I have to go._

_k. ttyl_

_Of course._

_see ya friday ;)_

Blushing furiously for no apparent reason, Arthur logged out, shaking his head as he headed downstairs for dinner. "Friday," he murmured under his breath. "Two more days."


	4. Chapter 4

~*Chapter Four*~

-Two Days Later-

"Ohlala, I hear your date with Alfred is today, Artie!" Antonio announced, his voice ringing loudly in their nearly-silent homeroom.

Multiple pairs of eyes settled on Arthur right as he walked in the door, and almost instantly, he heard a low buzzing chatter as they whispered to each other.

He shot Antonio a look that said "I hate you" in every language possible; the Spaniard simply giggled and wrapped his arm around the annoyed-looking redheaded boy beside him.

"Aww, don't be mad, Arthur," a boy on the opposite side of the classroom named Feliciano called. "Big brother Romano has a date today, too!"

The redhead beside Antonio began spouting off a long stream of colorful curses, and Antonio giggled some more; Arthur just rolled his eyes, taking his seat that was, once again, unfortunately located behind the Spaniard's. He needed to start talking to these teachers about seating in alphabetical order. At least then he'd sit behind the much less social - and therefore much less annoying - Heracles Karpusi, and not Antonio.

Not that he..._minded _talkative people (Yao was his best friend and Alfred...well, that was self-explanatory), but Antonio was clearly out to get him. Speaking of people out to get him...

"Ivan," Arthur beckoned to the boy two seats over from him. The Russian turned to face him, wearing a cheery smile.

"Hm?"

"You're..." Arthur paused and looked around to confirm that Yao wasn't within hearing range before continuing. "You're dating Yao?"

"Oh, _da_! Isn't it wonderful?"

The Brit smiled. "Absolutely. Congratulations." He turned back to face the board, missing whatever Ivan said after that because the bell had rung.

Alfred rushed in the door, late, as usual, right as the ring had sounded, panting from having to run. He disregarded the seating chart and took the empty seat between Arthur and Ivan.

"Oof! A-Alfred, you're sitting on me..."

"Huh? I thought this seat was empty," Alfred said, seemingly talking to his behind.

Arthur blinked and suddenly realized that there _was _someone in that seat - a blonde boy with a slight build and round glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He looked strikingly like Alfred, only his hair was wavier and his eyes were a pale violet color. "N-no...it isn't," the boy said, trying to look angry but failing, as his soft voice had betrayed him.

"Sorry, Matt, I'll move."

"Much obliged."

Alfred got up, instead opting to shove Tino (the tiny Finnish boy that sat on the opposite side of Arthur) out of his seat and taking it for himself.

Tino sat on the floor with a pout on his face, only brightening when a boy that Arthur only knew as "that scary Swedish kid" came up and helped him off the floor, shooting a distasteful look at Alfred before stalking off, Tino in tow.

"Hey," the American greeted, winking at Arthur before turning his attention to the teacher that had just walked into the room.

"Hello," replied Arthur, thankful that he was able to alleviate all stutters from his sentence. "How are you?" _Such a generic introduction... Shut up, Arthur. Just. Shut. Up. Now._

"Awesome. Excited about our date tonight."

Doing everything in his power not to blush, Arthur smiled a little too eagerly, though Alfred wasn't looking his way, anyway. "Right."

"Good morning, class," the teacher greeted boredly, his gaze immediately flickering to Alfred. "Mister Jones, that isn't your seat."

"I know, sir."

"Hmm." The man seated himself behind his desk, and Arthur mentally rolled his eyes. "Today's schedule..."

That was where Arthur lost him.

Now, he was a smart kid, and certainly a good student, but it was just one of those days where his brain and attention span both failed him. He blamed it on Alfred. Alfred and his beautiful eyes, and that stupid way of speaking that made Arthur's heart flutter every time he talked... Yes, damn him. Damn him and his stupid good looks and charm.

It took him a moment to shake his thoughts from the boy, but they only got so far before wandering back again.

He saw skin. And tongue. And multiple flashes of things that didn't belong in a school-aged environment. He knew he should've been paying more attention to getting ready for first period, but _man _was it hard to tell his brain to pause.

"Arthur..." He could practically _hear _his name on Alfred's lips as his brain tossed him an image that would give poor old ladies heart failure. Despite his previous attempts at shutting off such ideas, he entertained the scenario for a while, not noticing the smile blossoming on his face.

"_Arthur._" It was sharp and beautiful, the way Alfred said it, and it fit the scene with the way he was-

"Helloooo?"

And, just like that, Arthur's thought bubble popped, pervaded by the sound of someone snapping. "Hm!"

Alfred had an amused look on his face as he stood before the other's desk. "Ya spaced out on me, bro. I must'a said your name, like, five times."

"O-o-oh! Sorry..."

"The bell rang a few seconds ago. I noticed you hadn't heard." Alfred shifted his backpack on his shoulder and smiled. "So we should prolly go now, huh?"

"Y-yes... And thank you, by the way."

"My pleasure, man."

The two of them walked into the atrium in silence, and it was only when they were about to part ways that Alfred surprised him by speaking. "So, what were you daydreaming 'bout, anyway?"

"U-uh... C-cats." _Smooth._

Regardless of how lame the excuse was, Alfred seemed to buy it. "Ohh. So you prolly get along pretty good with that Heracles kid."

Arthur resisted the urge to correct his grammar (that would be pitifully useless) and nodded. "Sure. We don't talk too terribly much, but he seems all right."

"He's okay. He used to have this major crush on my ex-boyfriend."

_Oh, yes. I certainly want to hear of your (probably numerous) exes. _"Oh?"

"Yup. You know Kiku Honda, right?"

"I do. Heracles used to fancy him, did he?"

Alfred nodded. "He sure did."

"Hm. I never knew that. Anyway, I really ought to be going. See you tonight, Alfred."

So quickly Arthur almost thought he'd imagined it, Alfred brushed a lock of Arthur's hair behind his ear and kissed him on the cheek. "See ya tonight!" And just like that, he ran off.

_That boy... He's something else._

Arthur's face must have looked like a tomato with eyes (the idea of which he might've laughed at, had he not been so wrapped up in other thoughts), with the way he was blushing. The chagrin had flourished almost immediately when Alfred's fingers brushed against his cheek, and he briefly wondered if it was possible to bust a blood vessel from blushing too hard.

"Arthur, Arthur, aru!"

The Brit sighed through his nose and tried hard to will away the tainted color of his skin. "What is it, Yao? I'm going to be late to class."

"I just wanted to ask you if it was true, aru!"

"If what was-"

"If Alfred broke off the date, aru."

While Arthur stood there blinking in confusion, Yao caught up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, looking apologetic.

"N-no, he didn't... In fact, I just talked to him... Who told you that?"

The Asian man's expression swiftly changed to relieved. "Oh, all right, that's good. Eh, Tino told me he'd heard from Berwald, who'd heard from someone else, but Berwald wouldn't tell me who, aru."

"That's ridiculous. Stop listening to the gossipers."

"I don't, aru. But, you know, Berwald normally wouldn't gossip to save his life... That's kind of weird, don't you think, aru?"

Arthur sighed and continued walking. "Really, Yao, I'm going to be late."

"Wait, one more question, aru."

"Hurry, please."

The two of them halted in the band hall next to a long row of lockers trashed with several curse words and drawings of certain male body parts. The blonde turned toward his friend, looking impatient.

After an infinitesimal pause and a nervous glance over Arthur's shoulder, Yao murmured, "If he didn't break the date off, why is he over there kissing Gilbert?"

There was a period of silence following Yao's question; the boy quickly looked away, pursing his lips guiltily. Arthur stared at him for a few solid seconds before gathering up the courage to look over his shoulder.

Outside the little square windows on the thick doors, he caught a quick glimpse of golden-blond hair and the tell-tale profile bearing glasses and a wide smirk. Alfred's face quickly fell out of view, where the window's gaze flickered over the unmistakable red eyes of Gilbert Beillschmidt.

Yao opened his mouth to apologize, but Arthur had already torn down the hall the way they'd come, and in a moment, was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

~*Chapter Five*~

**Notes: **For future reference, Yao's Chinese lines are:

_Bàoqiàn_ = Sorry.

_Zàijiàn_ = Goodbye.

Or, at least, they _should _be. I clearly do not speak Chinese. 8D

**-oOo-**

Yao Wang didn't know whether to feel like the hero for telling Arthur the truth, or like scum for breaking his heart. Regardless of whatever he was feeling at that instant, there was only one option for what to do now; he dropped his backpack on the floor, repressed his fear of Gilbert, and stomped down the hall, flinging the door open.

Gilbert gasped and Alfred yelped, but both of them simultaneously backed away from each other and looked at Yao in shock.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Yao shouted at Alfred. "Do you have any idea how badly you've just hurt my friend, aru?"

Alfred turned red. "I-I-I'm sorry? I didn't kn-know I was hurting anyone..."

"How the _fuck _do you not know? !"

Just then, Gilbert's surprised expression melted away to anger, and he took a step closer to Yao. "Now, look here, you dumb prick-"

"You stay the hell out of this, aru," Yao snapped, color rushing to his face as he registered what had just come out of his mouth, and who he was saying it to.

Gilbert blinked. "You're... You just..." The anger was back again. "Who do you think you're talking to, kid?"

"I think I'm talking to the asshole that stole my best friend's date, aru!"

"Fuck your best friend! You snooze, you lose."

Yao had never felt so angry in his life. Balling up his fists, he tried telling himself that hitting Gilbert wouldn't be worth it. That's probably what the white-haired boy was expecting him to do, anyhow. Well, Yao wasn't going to fall for it. With an irritated sigh, the Chinese boy returned his glare to Alfred, who shrunk away from it. "Really, how could you do this to him, aru?"

"T-to whom?"

"To-" Yao paused and cocked his head, his tough facade draining away quicker than water down a pipe. "S-since when did you learn such good English, aru?"

"W-well, Papa taught me when I was little..."

Completely ignoring Gilbert's presence now, Yao felt his heart skip a beat. "Y-you're...not... I'm so s-sorry, aru."

"You'd better be," Gilbert huffed irately.

Yao shook his head, his face pale. "I-I thought you were someone else, aru..." _And so did Arthur. _"I... Sorry, Matthew."

Matthew nodded slowly. "I-It's all right. A lot of people mistake me for Alfred. I get yelled at almost every day for the trouble he gets into..."

Gilbert cut in between the two of them with a look that said he understood what was happening. Matthew hooked onto the back of the other boy's jacket and stared at Yao from over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I got so worked up, aru," Yao mumbled, crossing his arms. "I just..."

"Naw, I got it. It's cool." Gilbert actually stood for smiling at the younger boy. "Mistakes happen."

"Thank you... I guess I should go tell Arthur."

"Oh, yeah," Gilbert agreed, nodding once. "And here."

Yao watched curiously as Gilbert pulled a rectangular piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket. With a deft hand, he scribbled something onto it and handed it over. It was a tardy pass, now filled out with a signature keenly similar to the school nurse's and the current time. "Just put your name on the top line and you won't get in trouble for skipping."

Yao blinked, his eyes wide as he accepted the paper.

Gilbert chuckled. "Don't worry, your teacher'll buy it. I do it all the time, kesesese."

"Th-thank you, aru."

"No problem." The elder boy sucked on his teeth a moment, his gaze flitting over Yao's face, as if he were examining him closely for something. "...You're a good friend, man. To barge out here like that an' stick up for them."

Yao turned pink and murmured another low "thank you."

"I mean, it was pretty stupid, but at least it was for the sake of helping them out." Gilbert's smile became a crooked smirk. "Now go to class before I change my mind about being nice."

Yao nodded quickly, not even bothering to properly excuse himself from the scene before he went back inside, scooping his backpack off the floor and darting off for anywhere but his classroom.

-Scene Break-

Arthur didn't have the willpower to go to class. He felt as though his "perfect student" reputation was getting more tarnished with each second he nested in the boy's bathroom, but he shared this class period with Alfred and Yao, and he did _not _feel like facing either of them after what he'd just seen.

Yao was probably right about Alfred just wanting sex. He would've been sorely disappointed because Arthur wouldn't have granted it, and now he wouldn't even be granted the satisfaction of gaining another date; Arthur was going to break it off.

Suddenly, he felt a bit better. He'd probably be the very first kid to deny Alfred Jones a date, and that made him feel rather like an honorable pioneer. So, now, with a little more hope that he could salvage his pride, he left the stall, shifting his backpack on his shoulder and running a hand through his hair.

Right as he stepped back into the atrium, Yao (very literally) ran into him, knocking him back against the wall with a yip. "Y-Yao! For God's sake, what..." Trailing off, he blinked once. "Yao?"

His friend hurriedly straightened, sighing heavily. "Thank goodness I caught you, aru. Listen, I'm so sorry about what I told you back there, aru. It was-"

"It's all right, Yao," Arthur interrupted, smiling softly. "I'm glad you told me. It was better that I knew before-"

"No, no, wait, aru. It wasn't Alfred outside with Gilbert." Silence; Yao continued. "It was my fault - I made a mistake, aru. It was Matthew, Alfred's brother..." Arthur still didn't say anything, and Yao was beginning to feel worried. "A-Arthur? Are you all right, aru?"

Slowly, the Brit nodded. "I'm all right... I'm just surprised, is all. I feel like an idiot."

The elder boy sighed in relief. "Good, aru."

"Good that I feel like an idiot?" Arthur smiled again.

"No, aru." Yao laughed weakly. "Why do you feel like an idiot?" He looked up at the blonde with wide, concerned eyes, and suddenly Arthur knew why he found it so easy to talk to Yao.

"Because I actually thought so badly of Alfred. You know. I thought he would actually do something like that."

"Somethin' like what?" a curious voice from the boys' left asked.

Arthur had to hand it to the kid: Alfred had a knack for popping up in the most random places at the most random times. It was as though he made a cameo every time his name was mentioned in a sentence.

"Ah..." Yao fiddled with his hair nervously. "Bàoqiàn, Arthur, but I have to go, aru. Zàijiàn, aru!"

Before either Arthur or Alfred could object, the Chinese boy had left, turning into the main hall and disappearing from sight.

"Oh, for the love of..." The Brit huffed, turning to face his (friend? date? crush?) acquaintance and crossing his arms. "Bloody hell, Alfred. You've a knack for showing up at the most inopportune times, don't you, dear?"

Alfred blinked, as if taken aback by Arthur's words. "Oh... Sorry, dude. I just heard my name mentioned and was concerned, y'know?"

The other boy nodded in response, looking away.

"Soooo. Hey, uh, just outta curiosity, what were y'all talkin' about, anyway?"

"It was a misunderstanding," Arthur said curtly.

"About?" Alfred gave him an eager look that reminded him of a kid begging for candy.

Thus came the fork in the road. Arthur mentally debated for a moment, setting his lips. Should he say it? Would Alfred be upset that he really thought he'd do that to him? If he was, Arthur told himself, then he wouldn't even be worth the trouble...right?

With a slight nod to confirm his thoughts, he looked Alfred square in the eye and suddenly felt a little less courageous. "I thought that was you outside with Gilbert," he admitted, holding the gaze though it seemed a little awkward.

Alfred cocked his head and blinked. "Huh?"

_Well, you've picked a bright one, Artie. _"Matthew was out there with the Beillschmidt boy," he clarified, "and Yao and I thought it was you, was all. Er, sorry..."

"Ohh." A smile lit up the taller boy's face. "It's no prob, man. I mean, it makes sense you'd trust your best friend, yeah?" He put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You're a good guy."

Arthur bristled, trying not to look so obvious about being unused to touches like that. "Th-thanks." _Damn you, voice. _

To this, Alfred chuckled, though his expression quickly faded away to a seriousness Arthur had never seen on him before. "But, just so you know, I'd never do that to you. Or anyone. I mean, I've only had one boyfriend, like, ever, but I still know that, no matter what, no one should cheat."

"O-oh, you're absolutely right," Arthur agreed, startled at the insight. There was a pause, then his brain back-tracked. "Wait, wait."

Alfred's hand slid from his shoulder. "Hm?"

"You've only ever had _one _boyfriend?" Arthur put his hands to his hips the same moment a smile spread across his face. "I find that hard to believe."

The American laughed heartily. "Shut up, man. But yeah, yeah, only one... Just Kiku."

"Wow."

"You really surprised?"

"I am." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "It seems to me that you'd be quite the heartbreaker."

"What makes you say that?" To Arthur's delight, Alfred was rather pink in the face, his smile bemused.

"Oh, nothing. Just the fact that you're insanely popular, amusing, - in a good way, of course - funny... And," he paused to clear his throat, "well, being as good-looking as you are doesn't hurt, either."

"I can't be that popular," Alfred replied, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling nervously.

"Are you awake?"

The American looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "What? Yeah, a'course I am..."

"You're the most popular boy in school, twat." Arthur laughed once, crossing his arms. "Everybody loves you."

"I don't care if everybody else does..." Alfred paused, face darkening further, despite the smile creeping across his lips. "I only care if you do."


	6. Chapter 6

~*Chapter Six*~

**-oOo-**

Arthur was speechless. Alfred hadn't really just said that, had he? Maybe he hadn't heard him correctly or something... No, he had definitely said it, and he was standing right there in front of him, smiling and blushing - Alfred Jones was _blushing _- and clearly waiting for a response.

"Bu-but-," was about as far as he managed before the American laughed.

"Ah, you don't have to respond to that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was stupid."

"No, no!" Arthur offered quickly, holding up his hands. "It wasn't stupid, it was nice. Nice." _God, Arthur, what is wrong with you? You're such an idiot. _"You're funny." A pause. "I mean, what you said wasn't funny, that isn't what I meant."

Alfred laughed again, and Arthur suddenly wished he'd stayed in the bathroom a little longer. Better yet, he could just go back in there now and lock the stall door and never, ever come out again. Yes, that sounded like quite a good plan right about now.

"You're cute, dude," Alfred told him, smiling brightly. "I'm glad I asked you out. So, I gotta go, man. See ya tonight."

"R-right."

"'Bye."

"Goodbye, Al."

Arthur pretended to not notice the way the other boy's face lit up red at the nickname, or the way he nearly tripped over his shoe as he walked away backwards, then turned and sprinted down the hall faster than Feliciano retreating from a fight. He also pretended that his heart didn't always hammer at his ribs whenever he talked to Alfred, and that he didn't feel foolish for falling so hard so quickly. Then again, he pretended a lot of things, so maybe God would forgive him for all the lying he did, even if it was just to himself.

With a soft smile, he headed in the direction Alfred had just disappeared in, not caring that the teacher chewed him out in front of the class for being late. Once he saw Alfred's smile out of the corner of his eye, everything seemed surreal anyway. Or, it _did_, until a white slip of paper was pressed into his hand.

"To the dean, young man," the teacher said, crossing her arms. "We do not permit skipping at this school."

Right as Arthur turned, he saw Alfred toss a white piece of paper that was very similar to the one he currently held in his hand across the floor until it floated down in front of his feet.

_This boy, _the Brit thought, trying hard not to smile as he turned back around to where the teacher was writing something on the whiteboard. "But, ma'am," he said, surreptitiously reaching down for the paper and shoving it in his pocket. "I had a tardy slip..."

The teacher turned back around, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded and took the paper out of his pocket again, ignoring the snickers from Alfred's side of the classroom as he held it out for her to take.

"Oh... Well, you should have said something quicker, Kirkland." She nodded and took the referral slip from his hand, gesturing for him to sit down. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered as he took his seat. _A faked clinic pass, Alfred? Not bad..._

"Nothing major, I hope."

"No, ma'am."

"Good, good." With that, she resumed teaching, and Arthur slumped in his seat, holding his head in his hands. _That was a close one..._

"That was a close one," someone from behind him verbalized his thoughts in a joking whisper.

He turned in his seat and came face-to-face with Ivan, who was smiling childishly at him. "It is a good thing Alfred was sensible enough to think of that, da?"

"Oh, yes, Saved my sorry hide, he did."

"He probably got it from Gilbert."

"I bet."

Ivan smiled at him again, nodding once to signal that the conversation was over.

Arthur spent the remainder of the class in silence, staring at the clock. If he could get through the last of his classes without busting an artery from excitement, then he'd feel pretty proud of himself.

Then again, he got to go on a date. Tonight. With _Alfred Jones._

He didn't think there was a such thing as not letting his excitement show, so, to assuage some of his jitters, he smiled. It wasn't much, but it helped, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Alfred do the same.


End file.
